After 40-Years of Insurgency, Kurdish Militants Declare Ceasefire in Turkey- wna24

Istanbul: After the 40-years of insurgency, a ceasefire in Turkey was declared on Saturday in what could mark a remarkable boost to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Government, when the imprisoned leader of the insurgents called for the group to disarm.

The Kurdistan Worker’s Party announced the ceasefire against the backdrop of fundamental changes in the region, which includes the reconfiguration of power in the neighbor Syria after the fall of Assad, weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the war in Gaza.

The conflict between Turkey and the  Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK has led to tens of thousands of deaths since it began in 1984. The ceasefire is the first sign of a breakthrough since peace talks between the PKK and Ankara broke down in the summer of 2015.

The PKK declaration was published by the Firat News Agency, a media outlet close to the group, on Saturday. It referred to the insurgents’ leader, Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned by Turkey since 1999.

PKK said, “We declare a ceasefire effective today to pave the way for the implementation of Leader Apo’s call for peace and democratic society. None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked,”

A delegation of Kurdish politicians on Thursday, announced Ocalan’s call for the PKK to lay down its arms and disband after visiting him on his island prison.

PKK In its statement, executive committee said Ocalan’s call indicated that a “new historical process has begun in Kurdistan and the Middle East.” Kurdistan refers to the parts of Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran inhabited by Kurds.

While stating that it would “comply with and implement the requirements of the call from our own side,” the PKK emphasized that “democratic politics and legal grounds must also be suitable for success.”

Ocalan’s call came as the main pro-Kurdish political party in Turkey has faced pressure, with several of its mayors being removed from office in recent months and replaced by government appointees.

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The PKK also appealed for Ocalan to be released from Imrali prison, located in the Marmara Sea, to “personally direct and execute” a party congress that would lead to the militants laying down their arms.

The peace initiative between the Turkish state and the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, was started in October by Erdogan’s coalition partner, Devlet Bahceli, a far-right politician who suggested that Ocalan could be granted parole if his group renounces violence and disbands.

Erdogan said Ocalan’s message was a “new phase” in peace efforts in Turkey.

“There is an opportunity to take a historic step toward tearing down the wall of terror that has stood between (Turkish and Kurdish peoples’) 1,000-year-old brotherhood,” Erdogan said on Friday.